Oral Presentations: Session C

For almost a century, researchers and educators have been asking the question, does a prerequisite science course achieve its goal of preparing students for a subsequent course? Although early studies have shown variable results, college science teaching has changed significantly in the past decade as a result of studies indicating that student centered, active learning classrooms are beneficial for student learning. In 2012, a large, midwestern university underwent an institutional change to a semester system from the quarter system. With that change, prerequisite requirements for introductory biology also changed. In an effort to allow students to move more freely through the course requirements, they are now able to take chemistry as a corequisite to biology. As a result, there are numerous pathways to the prerequisite that a student can take before or alongside introductory biology. The main purpose of this study is to understand the effect of different prerequisite paths of students on their performance in an introductory biology class in the context of a 21st century curriculum. Furthermore, this study seeks to determine the impact, if any, of grades in the prerequisite on the subsequent course of interest. And finally, this study aims to understand how the amount of time between a prerequisite course and a subsequent course effects student performance in that subsequent course. Using hierarchical linear modeling to account for variation between groups of students nested in classrooms, we will present our analysis of students who have taken various pathways to achieve the introductory chemistry prerequisite to an introductory biology course for science majors. This includes students who have taken the prerequisite at the university, those with transfer credit, AP credit, or a combination of all three. Additionally, some students took chemistry as a co-requisite alongside biology. Model comparisons and policy recommendations will be discussed.

Student learning communities have proven to be a consistently powerful strategy for promoting student success. At Iowa State University, approximately 78% of freshmen belong to learning communities, and this correlates with increases in student retention (average increase of 5.9% learning community over non-learning community 2015-2017 one-year retention) and graduation rates (average increase 7.5% 2010-2013 five-year graduation rates). Learning communities are clearly impacting student persistence and success. Students who enter college without a declared major are at an increased risk of dropping out, and they are less likely to be associated with a learning community, since most learning communities are associated with student majors. The Sky is the Limit learning community was specifically created for undeclared students (600-700 per year in our Liberal Arts and Sciences College) with aims including providing students with a sense of belonging, encouraging explorations of majors and careers, and increasing students' overall awareness of campus resources. Since its inception in the fall of 2015, The Sky is the Limit has consistently shown an increase in yearly retention rates for undeclared students (average increase 7.5% one-year retention 2015-2017). Pre and post surveys demonstrate an increase in students' confidence levels about their ability to select a major or career path and to prepare a good resume. Qualitative data obtained from focus groups in the 2016 cohort indicated that students in The Sky is the Limit made strong connections to their peer mentors in the learning community and were better able to connect with campus resources. Our positive outcomes and experiences with offering a learning community for undeclared students argue that the minimal resources required to establish and maintain a learning community represent a wise and sustainable investment of institutional resources resulting in improved retention, student success, and integration into the institutional community

The Sustainable Interdisciplinary Research to Inspire Undergraduate Success (SIRIUS) Project is broadening participation and institutional capacity for STEM learning at Sacramento State by integrating research experiences, related to a common and relevant scientific problem, across the curriculum of multiple departments. Course-based research experiences maximize the number and diversity of students receiving high-impact instructional practices and is one approach we are taking to address systemic inequities at our minority-serving institution. In the fifth year of the SIRIUS project, over 3,600 students have studied human impacts on the American River, an impaired waterway running through campus, in 17 Biology, Chemistry, Geology and Environmental Studies courses. The broad nature of these courses, including general education and service courses, has allowed students from 42 campus departments and programs to share these experiences. Thirty-six faculty have collaboratively designed, implemented and assessed the impacts of the courses through a multi-year Faculty Learning Community. Drawing from our experiences, we now aim to expand the SIRIUS Project to six additional STEM disciplines on our campus and four nearby community colleges. Partnering with local community colleges will address the national recommendation to provide research experiences to students in their first two years of college and will ease the transition of transfer students to four-year institutions with these practices in place. Approximately 50% of Sacramento State students transfer from a two-year institution, and the majority of ours hail from the four partnering community colleges. Through the expansion of SIRIUS, we aim to create a model and generate new knowledge about how to build relationships and catalyze collaboration to promote curriculum reform across disciplines with different epistemologies and across two-year and four-year institutions. Here, we will present an overview of the SIRIUS program, focusing on our strategies for faculty engagement, select student and faculty outcomes, lessons learned and future directions.